The institutional role of NGOs in protecting Indonesia's treasurehouse of natural resources
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
As the world's fourth most populous nation, Indonesia faces enormous development pressures on its limited--but plentiful--resource base. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are playing an important role in protecting Indonesia's environmental bounty through a unique institutional status. Indonesia's decade-old environmental protection legislation lays out specific responsibilities for NGOs, but the government also keeps an extremely tight watch over their activities, their funding sources, and their overseas strategizing with other NGOs. They are not permitted to participate in political or commercial activities. Indonesian NGOs enjoy a unique funding relationship with the private business community wherein they may even eventually campaign against a particular donor's environmental management practices. All this occurs within the political context of highly centralized, hierarchical government control coupled with anti-North/West leanings. That NGOs have survived to the point of even having standing in court is not unique globally, but certainly noteworthy in this near-fledgling democracy. In this paper, the author recalls his experience working on environmental management issues with Indonesian government officials, power utility staff, NGOs, and private environmental practitioners, and Western environmental consultants and advocates to analyze the short history of, prospects for, and mechanisms of NGO influence over Indonesian environmental policy making and implementation.
- OSTI ID:
- 6162931
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930523--
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Professional; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Professional; (United States) Vol. Supplement; ISSN 0191-5398; ISSN EPROD9
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
290400* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Energy Resources
ASIA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ECONOMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
INDONESIA
ISLANDS
LEGISLATION
MANAGEMENT
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT